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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524507">Lock, Shock and Several Smoking Goblins (working title)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquadestiny/pseuds/Aquadestiny'>Aquadestiny</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tales of the Grand Magus [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Titan Fighting Fantasy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attempted Kidnapping, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Magical Accidents, Making Friends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:49:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,624</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524507</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquadestiny/pseuds/Aquadestiny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Set long before either campaign, about six months after Selene begins her apprenticeship with Yastromo. Selene learns first-hand what the consequences are for over-channeling and meets an unusually smart bird.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Selene-Chrackle, Selene-Yastromo, Wizard-Apprentice, Wizard-Familiar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tales of the Grand Magus [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lock, Shock and Several Smoking Goblins (working title)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was supposed to be one of those routine days. Get up, convince the kettle and teapot to behave and get on with making some tea, finally make said tea an hour after breakfast then get on with learning the next spell and maybe head outside for some fresh air before sorting out the mess that was Master Yastromo's library. Unfortunately it seemed that, today, some of the inhabitants of the Darkwood had other ideas.</p>
<p>The young wizard's apprentice was inspecting and making notes on a half-withered cluster of foxgloves growing under an ancient elm not far from the tower, when she heard the mad cackling of a solitary magpie just above her head. Selene looked up towards the branches above her, but had to move around a little to get a better look at the bird and figure out why on Titan the corvid was alone. Just as she had, an arrow fletched with tattered crow's feathers thunked into the ground where she had just been kneeling. The fiery-haired girl whirled around, clasping her notebook to her chest only to see a band of around six goblins leering at her. The biggest of them slapped the one who had just fired the arrow around his ear,</p>
<p>"You bumbling idiot! You was supposed to 'it her!" The smaller one rubbed at his ear and scowled,</p>
<p>"Weren't my fault she moved was it?" Another, even smaller goblin, who was holding a net, frowned and looked to the biggest goblin,</p>
<p>"Uhh, boss?" His voice trembled, "She's gettin' away." He pointed out. The band's leader looked over to where the human girl had been and noticed that she was, indeed, making an attempt to run away. Snarling, the larger goblin grabbed the net from the smaller one and threw it.</p>
<p>Selene stumbled over a hidden tree root as she rushed back to the safety of Yastromo's tower.</p>
<p><i>"Schist."</i> She hissed as she felt a sharp pain in her ankle as she tried to tug her foot free. The magpie, which had been following her, landed nearby, cocking its little head and seeming to almost inspect either the root or her ankle, the girl wasn't sure which.</p>
<p><i>~That's ridiculous, Selene. Magpies are smart, but not that smart.~</i> The bird suddenly looked up, fluttering away as a weighted net sailed through the air and landed over the wizard's apprentice, trapping her. The goblins cheered as they rushed over. The largest one grinned,</p>
<p>"An' that, boys, is 'ow you catch a humie!" He announced, "Now get on with tyin' 'er up. We ain't got all day!" Selene panicked as the other goblins closed in around her, trying desperately to think of something that would scare the leering, green-skinned monsters off before they could get any closer. A mad cackling, flurry of feathers and hands and a sudden scream from a goblin to her left caught her attention,</p>
<p>"My eye!" The leather-skinned creature wailed, clutching at his face, dark ichor leaking from the orifice where his left eye used to be. The magpie squawked, triumphant, as it soared away again, a yellowed eyeball, dripping with ichor and the nerve dangling from it, clamped firmly in its beak. Three of the goblins turned and fired off their arrows at the bird, which deftly dodged them and dropped its grisly prize on the head of one of them,</p>
<p>"Ewww, getitoff, getitoff, getitoff." They chanted, flailing their arms around their head in disgust. The chaos that erupted in the band allowed Selene the time to find her spellbook and flip through it, but not enough time to find a suitable spell before she felt the cool metal of a knife at her neck,</p>
<p>"Don't go doing anythin' stupid there girlie." The goblin muttered in her ear, "Boss wants ya alive, but one false move and…" he trailed off, pressing the rusted blade a little closer and giggled. Selene's mind went blank with fear. Without even thinking, the wizard's apprentice started to gather as much arcane power around her as she could manage. The air crackled and sparked as the magic swirled around the terrified girl. The band's leader frowned, looking around and trying to figure out where the wind and sparks of lightning were coming from. Half the band were already running, recognising the pull of a lot of magic, while the others, minus the one wailing about his missing eye, looked to their boss. The large goblin snarled,</p>
<p>"Don't just stand there! Help me get the girl out of here before…" he never got to finish his sentence. He had grabbed the girl's arm halfway through, and the minute he had, Selene lashed out with her free hand,</p>
<p>"Let me GO!" She shouted, blindly unleashing a blast of magic at the goblin. The rest of the band started to make a run for it, but were promptly thrown against the trees as all of the gathered magic promptly detonated around the human girl. Selene screamed at the white hot pain that ripped through her nerves as all the magic she had unconsciously gathered unleashed itself at once. She immediately passed out, slumping to the mossy ground as the goblins that had been unfortunate to be caught in the magical explosion smoked gently where they lay.</p>
<p>The magpie, which had soared high above the gathering storm of arcane energy, landed next to the, seemingly unharmed, young girl. Its short tail bobbed as it hopped around her, croaking. It looked up at the squawk of another, larger bird above it. The magpie cackled and fluffed up its feathers, spreading its wings defensively as the raven landed nearby, and placed itself between the girl and the larger corvid.</p>
<p>"It's quite alright, my defensive little friend, we're here to help." A voice said gently from behind the black and white bird, causing it to turn its head and blink at the elderly, robed human that approached. The magpie cackled, warily hopping to one side as the old man knelt and inspected the unconscious young girl. Yastromo frowned and clucked his tongue,</p>
<p>"Greydown, head on over to Darkacre and get a hold of Father Everwind." He commanded, "Tell him we have a severe case of Overchannel." The raggedy old raven nodded, spread its wings and took off, soaring high above the canopy and flew off to the east. The old human picked up the young girl and looked down at the magpie with an appraising look. He smiled,</p>
<p>"You might as well come with us, my little feathered friend. I daresay my apprentice will be grateful for the company when she finally wakes up." He said. The magpie cocked its head, blinked a few times, then croaked and flew up to settle on the bearded human's shoulder. Yastromo nodded and immediately started making his way back to the tower.</p>
<p>~*~</p>
<p>Selene groaned as she came around back to the waking world. Everything ached and her arm and finger felt like they were having hot pokers jabbed into them. She shifted with a small whine, only to feel a hand touch her shoulder,</p>
<p>"Easy there, girl. I'm not quite done yet." A smooth voice said from somewhere above her. Selene squinted as she teased her eyes open, feeling another hand grasp her wrist. An elven face with dark blue eyes glanced down at her, the lips quirking into a smile as he noticed that the young girl was looking at him.</p>
<p>"What happened?" She mumbled, hissing slightly feeling the tingle of a healing spell of some kind travelled up her arm. It stung as it worked on the half-burned out arcane channels and nerves. The elf sighed,</p>
<p>"You channeled far too much arcane magic through yourself at once." He replied patiently, "From what Yastromo told me, you channeled enough to detonate a 10 foot wide area around yourself. It's a wonder you're even alive, never mind awake at the moment." He added, shaking his head. Selene winced, feeling a pinch in the ends of her fingers where the most damage had occurred,</p>
<p>"'M sorry." She muttered, "Tried to get away from a bunch of goblins." The elf nodded,</p>
<p>"Well, the ones that weren't smart enough to get away in time certainly won't be bothering anyone again." He noted, looking up as a bird squawked softly from the rafters in the ceiling, "Yes, and I heard you helped too." He chuckled. Selene frowned as she looked up to where the squawk had come from. Watching from a beam just above the human's bed was the magpie from the forest. The multi-coloured corvid tilted its head as it noticed the girl looking at it, making a soft chuckling sound in its throat. Selene smiled up at it,</p>
<p>"Thank you." She murmured, exhaustion settling over her as the fire in her arm and hand slowly ebbed away. The elven cleric glanced back at his friend's apprentice, picked up a cup and held it to the girl's mouth,</p>
<p>"This will help avoid any further dehydration." He said as Selene took a gulp of the water, "Drink at least another two cups when you wake back up." He told the flagging girl. The magpie fluttered down to the post at the head of the bed, cocking its head as Selene nodded tiredly, already slipping into the welcoming arms of proper sleep. The elf sighed as he placed the cup on the table beside the bed and looked at the magpie,</p>
<p>"Make sure she does, will you?" He asked, gently tickling the bird under its beak. The magpie chuckled, which the cleric took as assent, gathered up his things and quietly left the bedroom. The corvid preened at its wings, ruffled its feathers, then settled down keeping a close watch over the girl as she slept.</p>
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